


Laughter Lines

by lindsaylaurie



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Canon Trans Character, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Its just fluff folks, Post-Finale, Sibling Bonding, and then there's porn at the end, lup gets her body back
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-10
Updated: 2017-11-12
Packaged: 2019-01-31 10:24:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12679962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lindsaylaurie/pseuds/lindsaylaurie
Summary: Post-Finale fluff in which Lup's new body needs some time to recover but she's hell-bent on getting in Barry's pants. Taako offers moral support.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title is a Bastille song, as are 90% of my titles. Annnd was beta'd by my roommate, so massive thanks there. It's... yeah it's just fluff. The next chapter will have the porn. It's all written but I'm taking another look before posting this weekend. Hope you enjoy!

Darkness consumes her.

There's so much nothing. An inky blackness flows over her senses. But she is not afraid. She is not conscious enough to be afraid. She's dreamlike, floating in the void like a petal on water.

Everything explodes at once.

Cold, wet, coughing, wet, shaking, cold, wet, _coughing._ Scraping.

She opens her eyes and the light floods in, making her squint. The glass in front of her is moving away. Fresh air hits her lungs. Under her feet the ground is cold and hard. Her hair is brushing her face. She feels everything at once and it overwhelms her.

“Lup?”

It's Barry's voice. Her eyes focus in on him as her mind wakes up. He starts for her, but he hesitates. His eyebrows are drawn up with worry, like he's wondering if it didn't work, like his nerd brain is rattling off a thousand things that could have possibly gone wrong. Gods, he's so cute and here she is staring at him with her eyes. With her real eyes.

She catches a glimpse of herself in his glasses. Even though her hair is hanging limp and damp with whatever the hell her body’s been floating in for months now, she’s stunning.

“Man, I forgot how good I look.” The words tumble out and her voice is strange in her ears. She watches as Barry’s face screws up. He smiles but his eyebrows upturn severely and he still doesn’t move. He’s frozen achingly in place.

Her heart stutters.

“I'm gonna smooch your fucking face off.”

He catches her as she stumbles ungracefully into his arms. She's stark naked, everything is cold and wet, her body feels heavy, but she kisses him. He's shaking as he fumbles to get the robe in his arms around her, but he does and then he's holding her. And she's touching him all over, savoring the feeling of everything. His face, his hair, his glasses. And his lips. She hasn't kissed him in years.

He's soft, so soft, as if he's afraid to hurt her. Lup isn't. She's rough and demanding and out of practice. She holds him too tight and kisses him too hard. Her teeth knock against his and she digs her nails into the back of his neck. And her chest fucking _hurts_.

It takes her by surprise. Of course she's had feelings these past years, but she's forgotten just how _physical_ they could be. And now, here with Barry, her heart is beating too fast and her breath is too short and the love she feels for him is too much.

Lup has to pull back. Her head is spinning and her lungs are on fire. She buries her head in the crook of Barry's neck and squeezes him.

“H-hey, you alright?”

Barry's about to fucking cry; she can hear it in his voice.

“Babe,” Lup teases, closing her eyes. “Come on, don't cry. Don't be such a sap.”

“Too late,” Barry mutters, chuckling wetly. He's rubbing circles in her back and his hands are still shaking.

His tone tugs at her chest, another stab of emotion that she hasn't felt in forever.

She opens her mouth to keep teasing him but starts crying instead. She can't remember the last time she did that. Barry has always been the crier between them.

He kisses her hair, the tips of her ears, her forehead, and his tenderness just makes her cry harder. She's leaning on him too much, letting him hold up her weight. He gently lowers the both of them to the cold ground and Lup arranges herself in his lap. She's taller than him by a good few inches, but he gathers her up like a child as she settles against him. She feels like a kid, crying like this, but she can't stop and it feels _good._ Everything from the past few years just tumbles out of her.

 

Lup doesn't know how much time has passed when she lifts her head off Barry's chest. When their eyes meet, everything about him lights up. His eyes, his smile... She can't help but kiss him.

“Fuck,” she mutters as she pulls away. “I've missed this.”

Barry hums contently and tucks a piece of her hair behind her ear. “Me too.”

She thinks she could let herself stay here all day, on the hard rock floor, staring at his dumb nerd face, but she won't. There's someone she needs to see. Someone she's a little afraid to see.

“You don't think... Taako isn't going to be mad at me, right?”

Even though she has had every opportunity to, Lup has neglected to tell him about _this._

When Barry first presented her with the letter, she didn't dare believe it would work. It was an old scrap of paper with her lip prints on it. It wasn't enough. She couldn't get his hopes up. When the body began to grow, she couldn't tell him either. It didn't look like anything. It could be anyone. When it took her shape, she still worried. What if something went wrong? What if she'd just been out of her body for too long for it to take? She couldn't give him that hope and then take it away.

So she had said nothing. She hates keeping things from him, she hardly _ever_ keeps anything from him, but after everything, she couldn't bare to cause him any more pain.

Any more than she’s already caused him, anyway.

“No,” Barry says, but she thinks Barry will say anything now. He's got a goofy grin plastered on his face. “No he'll be fine.”

“Liar.” Lup draws him down for one last kiss, a kiss that makes her so dizzy she has to press her face into Barry's chest and focus on breathing.

“You feeling okay?” His voice is laced with worry. She imagines he's not smiling anymore.

“Tired. Having a body... it's a lot.”

“Mm.” Barry strokes her hair as she catches her breath. “You've been without it for so long. It'll take some getting used to.”

And now there's time for that. No Hunger, no Light. Just time.

“Okay. Let's go, let's get this over with.” She makes to stand, but she stumbles. Barry catches her, pulls her back in.

“Here, I've got you, babe,” he whispers in her ear.

He helps her stand and get dressed properly. She puts the cloak on top for good measure and wonders if the chill she feels is the actual weather or her body trying to acclimate. She guesses the latter by the look Barry gives her.

Barry's lab isn't that far from their house, but it feels like miles away. The journey there had been easy. Lup had floated ahead of Barry again and again, teasing him for being so slow. Now she's leaning into him as he helps her forward.

They're about halfway there when Barry stops and Lup tries very hard not to look winded. But she must look pitiful because Barry says, “I can carry you the rest of the way.”

“I can walk!” Lup insists. “I'm a big girl.”

Barry frowns at her. “Come on, just get on my back.”

But she doesn't. She shakes herself free of him, just to prove a point, and walks ahead by herself. Barry sighs and follows after her.

It's hell. She grits her teeth and keeps her jaw set as she pushes her body forward. Walking isn't hard. Babies walk. She walked, years and years ago.

But it's too much. They don't get very far before she steps wrong and her whole body crumples. She tries to correct, but her legs don't remember how and the ground rushes up towards her. She braces for the pain.

Barry is there before she hits the ground. He manages to not only catch her, but also scoop her up into his arms in the same motion.

Lup is too surprised to be offended. She laughs. “Babe, have you been working out?”

“No,” Barry breathes. “So this would be a lot easier if you just got on my back.”

“Mm.” Lup winds her arms around his neck and presses her face into his collarbone. “Nah, I'm good here.”

Barry manages to carry her, bridal style, the rest of the way. By the end he's breathless and Lup is laughing. He sets her down gently at the door and Lup kisses him on the cheek.

And then she's here, at the house in the flesh, finally. After the Hunger had gone, after all the loose ends had been tied up, she had moved here with Barry, Taako, and, sometimes, Kravitz. It's a cute cottage with two stories and an impressive kitchen.

Lup's nervous. She watches Barry fumble with the key, watches the door open in slow motion to reveal their living room. The house is filled with the smell of eggs cooking. It almost overpowers her.

“Barold? Lup?” Taako calls from the kitchen.

Lup feels herself shaking. Already her chest is tight and _dammit_ she doesn't want to cry again. She looks at Barry and he nods at her. He's smiling and that gives her courage.

When Lup moves into the kitchen, Taako is facing away from her, towards the stove. “I was wondering where you two had gone. I hope it wasn't some weird sex thing.”

Lup tries to move her mouth, tries to think of some smart remark in reply, but all she can think about is how she's _here_ in the flesh, standing next to her brother.

“Oh my gods it totally was, wasn't--”

When Taako turns, his words abruptly die off. The spatula in his hand clatters to the floor. She watches his eyes go wide, his jaw drop open. He hasn't been awake for very long, she notes. His features are plain, his enchantments dropped.

“Lulu?”

Fuck. Her eyes prick with tears.

“It's... fuck.” Taako's lower lip is trembling. “You could have fucking warned me, you dick!”

And then he's hugging her. His hold is too tight, unlike Barry's gentle treatment. He's clinging to her like she might disappear in a puff of smoke. She winds her arms around him and feels whole again.

“You fucking jerk,” Taako sobs into her shoulder. “You asshole.”

It's been a long time since she's seen Taako lose it like this. He prefers to hide his emotions under jokes and nonchalance. But she's surprised him.

She has to admit, it's a little bit satisfying.

“Oh, you're loving this,” Taako bites.

“A little,” Lup admits. She lets her fingers card through her brother's hair, lets him squeeze her too hard.

“Fuck you.”

They stand there in the kitchen for a long time, even after the smell of burnt eggs fills the air. Barry must smell it for he sneaks into the kitchen to turn off the fire.

When Taako finally pulls away, he's scrubbing at his eyes with the back of his hand. Lup realizes her eyes are wet too and hastily does the same. 

His reaction, like Barry’s, feels bittersweet. Both never thought they’d never see her like this again. Both were, probably, thinking about the last time they saw her in the flesh. Before she left them.

The memory of leaving, of what that did to them, is ice in her heart.

“So, talk. What did you and science boy do?”

Lup presses her hands to her eyes and drops into one of the chairs at the kitchen table. “The letter. The one I left all those years ago. There was a kiss on it; he used it to regrow my body. Taako.... I didn't think it would work, that's why I didn't tell you. I didn't want to get your hopes up...”

Taako plucks a handkerchief from his apron and blows his nose loudly. “So instead you decided it would be fun to see your brother fucking _lose it_. Great move, Lulu.”

But he's not mad. Not really. She can always tell. She grins at him and sort of shrugs. “What can I say? Not every day the mere presence of your flesh body reduces your brother to tears.”

“Don't get used to it.” Taako glances over his shoulder and sighs dramatically. “And you messed up my eggs.”

“Make more.” Lup suddenly realizes she's starving. She hasn't eaten in literal years. “And make some for me too.”

She doesn't have to tell Taako twice. It's nice watching him work, watching as he moves so easily in the kitchen. When Barry joins them, Lup immediately takes his hand. The feeling of his fingers tracing circles on the back of her palm makes her chest ache. She can't get enough of his touch.

When Taako's done, he's laid out an impressive impromptu breakfast spread of omelets, bacon, and toast. Lup reaches for a slice of toast before Taako can even sit down. Her mouth is watering and her stomach feels emptier than it ever has.

“Babe,” Barry says, as Lup is inhaling that piece of toast totally dry. “Go slow. That body's brand new.”

“Don't be so uptight, Barold,” Taako says, but his eyes are trained on his sister. “She hasn't eaten in, what? Ten years?”

Barry purses his lips. “I just don't want her to spend her first night throwing up.”

“Yeah? You got bigger plans for her first night?” Taako asks, raising his eyebrows in a way that makes Barry blush.

But Lup is only barely paying attention to this conversation. Instead, she's focused on shoveling the most delicious omelet she's ever had into her mouth. The eggs are light and fluffy and the cheese is gooey and warm. The tastes are so overwhelming to her new mouth that she could start crying all over again.

“Lup,” Barry warns again, clearing his throat.

She looks up at him, mouth full, and chews with exaggerated slowness. She swallows and sticks her tongue out at him. “Okay, okay. Slower.”

 

In the end, Barry doesn't let her eat as much as she wants and she's grudgingly grateful. The meal has left her sleepy and slightly nauseous, but she feels good, better than she has in forever. Even if Taako _does_ have to drag her out of the kitchen and into her bedroom. She had insisted she could walk, but even standing proved to be a challenge.

She holds a little too tightly as he helps her walk and when she lets go, the absence is a physical thing. There’s a hole ripped open in her chest and all she wants is to press up against his side again. When she perches on the edge of the bed, she folds her hands in her lap and twists them together.

There's a moment where everyone's quiet. Barry's standing there next to Taako and they're both hesitant. It's different now. There are years of new memories for the both of them and years they are still remembering.

Taako decides first. “Well, I guess if you're napping, I'm in. Gotta recharge after all that shit you put me through.” He flicks Lup on the forehead as he moves past her into the far side of the bed.

When Lup looks to Barry, he smiles at her with so much understanding that it hurts. She slides into bed and is wrapped around Barry the instant he lies down. He's facing her and she pulls in as close as she can get. His heart is too loud and he's trembling as she kisses his forehead and pushes back his hair.

“Don't get too crazy over there,” Taako mutters. His back is pressed up against hers and the warmth is so familiar and overwhelming she has to squeeze her eyes shut.

Eventually Barry's breathing evens out and Taako starts snoring and Lup lets herself fall asleep.

 

Waking up is hell.

Lup moans as she opens her eyes. Sleep clings to her, tries to pull her back under, and she almost lets it. But then she panics. She needs to wake up, _now_ or else she’ll never wake up again. She sits up too suddenly and it makes her head swim and her heart thud too hard in her chest.

“Babe?”

Barry's there. He's sitting next to her in bed, a soft hand already at her back.

And she's so happy to see him.

She kisses him which such surprise and such force that he lets out a muffled gasp and falls back into the mattress.

“Let me leave the room first!” Taako yelps from her side. She pulls back just in time to see him sit up with a look of utter disgust. “Yeah, you forgot I was here, didn't you?”

Barry is all sorts of red as Lup disentangles herself from him. “Maybe a little. But, let's not forget who's got a brand new brain up in this noggin.” She taps at her forehead. “What's your excuse for last week when--”

“Seriously?” Taako scoffs. “Let it go, Lulu. I didn't put the sock on the door _one_ time.”

“I had to see my boss! Naked! With my _brother_.”

“Hey, don't complain, Kravitz is a stone cold fox.”

“And my boss! Unprofessional as fuck, bro.” She glances back at Barry, looking for support, but he's just grinning as he watches the two of them. She snorts and shoves at his shoulder playfully. “Back me up, babe.”

“Oh, uh.” Barry tries to stop smiling, but spectacularly fails. “Y-yeah, you're totally right, Lup.”

It's Taako's turn to snort. “Uh, so not a valid opinion. Barold would literally throw himself off a cliff if you asked.”

Lup laughs as she drapes herself across Taako's lap. He flicks one of her ears. She stretches out to tangle her legs with Barry's. “Whatever. I don't even remember what we were talking about.”

“Good.” Taako starts playing with her hair and she's asleep again before another thought can cross her mind.

 

The next time Lup wakes up, she feels like she's been asleep forever.

She opens her eyes slowly and blinks as the room comes into focus. The light is filtering in through the curtains and she has no concept of what time it is. She's alone in the bed, something that panics her at first, until her eyes land on Barry's form, hunched over the desk.

He must hear her stirring, because he gets up quickly. Lup grins at him as she sits up.

“How long have I been out?”

Barry considers this as he slips into bed next to her. She's pressed into his side in an instant.

“Hm, about thirteen hours, I'd say.”

“Really?” Lup laughs. “New record.”

Barry strokes her hair and she sighs her contentment so exaggeratedly that Barry laughs.

“Is that all it takes now?” he teases, tracing a finger along one of her long ears.

“Mmm,” Lup murmurs. “Can't help it. Everything feels so fucking good, you know?” She tangles her legs with Barry's, relishing the feel of denim on her bare skin.

“Yeah, I know.” Barry kisses her forehead. The skin prickles even after he pulls back.

Lup shifts so she can cup his face and kisses him full in the mouth. She's had her body back for maybe 24 hours, she doesn't really know what time or day it is, but what she does know now, with a chilling clarity, is that she's going to fuck Barry Bluejeans if it kills her.

The urge comes on so suddenly that it startles her as it shoots through her core. She's thought about it so many times and now that she's back in her body, she's suddenly wondering why they haven't been nonstop fucking since she stepped out of that pod.

But as Barry's kissing her back (restrained, she can tell) her stomach growls and she realizes she has to pee and everything is sore and stiff from being asleep for so long.

They pull apart and Lup groans. “Dammit. I forgot having a body was so much _work._ ”

Barry kisses the top of her forehead again. He can't get enough of her. It's sweet, but heartbreaking if she thinks about it too much. “I know, babe. Come on, Taako is making an obscene amount of food.”

“Okay... But after...” She grins at him with half lidded eyes and casually runs a hand along his inner thigh. She watches his Adam's apple bob in his throat as he swallows.

“I--” Barry stutters as Lup lets her hand wander higher. He grits his teeth. “I-it's not that I don't want to— aah.” He takes a sharp breath as Lup grazes his crotch and gently takes her wrist.

She tries not look hurt and she can tell by his expression that she's failing. He looks stricken as he kisses her knuckles and holds her hand in both of his. The fire is flickering insider her and, shit, she can't look at him. She has to bite her lip.

“Trust me... I want to. I just... I don't want you to push it, you know? Maybe we should wait until you're stronger.”

Lup sighs and scrubs at her hair. “Fuck, why do you have to be all responsible?” His grip on her hand tightens and he still looks miserable, so she forces a smile. “What's the criteria then, Bluejeans?”

Barry purses his lips. “Criteria?”

“Yeah. What do I have to do to get some of this?” She pinches at his lovehandles with her free hand and he grins.

“Uh, well, walking without getting tired would be a start.”

“Oh, easy!” Lup pulls her hand back and gets to her feet. “Babe, I hope you didn't get rid of your sex jeans, because you're gonna need 'em tonight.”

Barry laughs, but it comes out choked and his face has gone a light pink and that is satisfaction enough for now.

 

Taako has indeed made an obscene amount of food. He hasn't had enough time to devote a day to their aunt's turkey, but the spread is just as impressive. Appetizers, salads, chicken cordon bleu, even a fresh peach cobbler. Again, Barry reminds her to go slow, but Taako slips her an extra serving of mashed potatoes when he's not looking. When all's said and done, Lup definitely could go back to sleep (she's never needed this much sleep in her life) but she's determined to get in Barry's pants.

After dinner (or lunch? Lup is still fuzzy on what time it is) she requests to go into the garden with Taako. And though Barry looks reluctant to leave her side, he says he has some errands to run and leaves the house.

Which is how Lup ends up trudging back and forth from the house to the garden fence with a look of serious determination. Her face is red and there's a sheen of sweat across her forehead from just a few minutes of the exercise. Taako is sitting on the bench, watching with mild amusement. She had told him she wanted to get some cardio in, but, as always, he's seen right through her.

“Listen, Lulu, it's none of my business, and frankly, I don't really want to know, but I know you, and I know Barry and I can't help but think all of this is because he thinks you're too weak for boning.”

His words make her step awkwardly and Taako lazily flicks his wand to keep her upright.

“Maybe,” Lup huffs as she presses on to the back fence. She touches it and slogs back towards the house. But her legs are burning and her chest is too tight. She swerves and lets herself fall into the bench next to Taako.

“Gross.” Taako pushes some of her sweaty hair off her forehead. “I can't believe I'm helping you fuck him _again.”_

Lup grins and leans against him. He pulls an arm around her and she sighs. Even tired and out of breath, she's content. “I can't believe I need help again. I mean, I get it, he doesn't want me to overexert myself, but it's been ten _years_.”

“Everyone has dry spells,” Taako says and Lup snorts.

They go quiet for a moment. Lup closes her eyes. If she's not careful, she could fall asleep like this. 

But something's still bothering her.

“You're not... you're not mad at me, are you?”

“For springing this on me? Nah. I get it.”

That eases her mind a little, but it's not quite what she means. “For leaving.”

His hand gets tight on her shoulder. She tenses.

“Have you been thinking that this whole time?” There's something in his voice that's hard to place. He's trying to be casual in the way he says it, but there's something else there.

“Sort of. I know how you feel about... about Lucretia. I kind of pulled the same shit. ”

There's a long pause. Neither of them breathe.

“That was different.” His voice is a knife now. “You didn't make decisions for everyone else. You didn't erase our fucking memories.”

Maybe she shouldn't have mentioned Lucretia. She can feel Taako's heart beating too fast now and his hand is trembling, just slightly. She puts a hand on his knee to calm him.

“Taako...”

When he looks down at her, his face changes. He relaxes a little, his hand stops being so tight. “Yeah, no, Lulu, you're good. You don't have to ever think we're not good.”

She doesn't trust herself to speak. Instead she wraps her arms around him and waits until her throat stops feeling so tight. She never used to be a crier but in the last few days every little thing has set her off. She supposes she should have expected to be overwhelmed with so many things at once.

“Well, you're not gonna get laid sitting around here,” Taako says, gently extracting himself from her and getting to his feet.

Lup snorts and scrubs at her eyes before taking his hand and pulling herself to her feet. “True that.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to everyone who read chapter one! <3 This chapter is the explicit one, so sorry if you were disappointed when you read chapter one and found no porn :P Hope you enjoy it!

Taako helps Lup walk a few more laps before she gets too tired and they go inside. When Barry comes home, they're sprawled out on the couch sipping on glasses of wine.

Lup has had approximately half of a glass and already her insides are pleasantly warm and her head is swimming. She's lost aaaalll of her tolerance.

“Babe!” she exclaims when Barry enters, his arms laden with bags. She untangles her legs from Taako's and stumbles to her feet. It's a miracle she doesn't spill her wine. She sets it on the coffee table gingerly.

Barry puts down the bags just in time for Lup to throw herself into his arms. He stumbles a bit to keep them both upright and pulls her against him.

“I missed you,” she mumbles into his neck. Standing, she feels even less sober.

“Are you guys... drinking?” Barry asks, a note of disapproval in his voice.

“It's just wine,” Taako drawls. “Come join us.”

Lup pulls away and grins. “Yeah, come on, babe, have a glass.”

Even not entirely sober, she can see on his face that he's going to tell her to take it easy. So she grabs his hand before he can say anything and drags him to the couch.

“It's fine, Barry,” she says, motioning for Taako to pour him a drink. “Really, you don't have to worry about me.”

“She would prefer you didn't,” Taako adds, handing Barry the glass of dark red liquid.

Barry adjusts his glasses and sighs in defeat. “Fine... You're right. I worry too much.”

He reaches out for her, but Lup bounces off the couch too quickly. Her head spins for a moment and she stumbles, but she rights herself before either of them can move. “Speaking of! Look how much cha’girl can walk now!”

Lup walks to the front door and turns around for a lap around the couch. Taako slow claps as she stops in front of them and bows. She’s only a little winded. 

“Looks good enough to me, Lulu,” he says, taking a sip of wine. “For sure better than yesterday.”

Barry looks between the twins, his expression quickly turning to mild mortification. “You… You told Taako?!”

Lup thinks he shouldn't be so surprised. She sort of shrugs and flops down between him and her brother. “He guessed.”

Barry groans as Lup settles against him. She reaches out for her wine and takes another sip.

“It was too obvious,” Taako says. “Both of you are open books I _swear_.”

“Am not,” Lup retorts. “'m an enigma.”

Taako rolls his eyes. “You're also drunk on half a glass of wine.”

“Really, that's all you've had?” Barry asks.

Lup elbows him. “Shut up. It's not like _your_ tolerance is any good these days.”

He chuckles. “Better than half a glass.”

“Urgh, you two are so boring.” Taako leans back into the arm of the couch and props his feet in Lup's lap. “Remember when we actually used to go _out_?”

“About 50% of it,” Barry mutters and Lup laughs.

Taako smirks as he takes a sip of his drink. “Not bad, considering how buckwild you used to get. What happened to fun Barry, hm?”

“Aw, he's still fun,” Lup says, running a hand through his hair. “He just needs to get blackout drunk first.”

“Hey!” Barry makes a face of mock offense but he's not able to sustain it for very long. “I'm plenty fun sober.”

“Oh, yeah? Like the time you lost your glasses and thought that fucking _carnivorous bush_ was Merle? That was a hoot.”

Taako launches into the story and Barry and Lup interject from time to time. It's so nice, being back to relative normal. She's here in the flesh and though things are different, some things never change. This feeling of belonging that she has, lying on the couch talking and laughing, it never changes.

 

The next morning, Lup wakes up to a pounding headache and a clawing nausea that makes her stomach squirm.

It's early. The sun is just barely filtering through the windows. Barry's still asleep and she guesses Taako is in his own room because he's not here.

Lup takes several deep breaths, trying to decide if she feels shitty enough to throw up or if she's going to try to force herself back to sleep. When she decides she's good for now, she gently slides in next to Barry and presses herself against his back. She tries not wake him, but he stirs anyway.

“You awake?” he asks, his voice thick with sleep.

“Unfortunately,” Lup mutters into the back of his neck.

Barry shifts in her arms until he's facing her. Lup presses in close and tucks her head under his chin.

“You're hung over, aren't you?”

Lup snorts into the hollow of his throat. He knows her too well. “Two glasses of wine, Barold. Two. Disgraceful.”

Barry smooths back her hair and drags his fingers over her ear. “How bad is it?”

“Mmm.” Lup closes her eyes. The pain is still there, squeezing at her brain, but Barry is so warm and soft that she's already drifting back towards sleep. “Not as bad now.”

Maybe Barry says something, but she’s already asleep. 

 

She dreams about him.

In her dreams, there's nothing innocent about the looks he gives her. In her dreams, she's healthy and strong and they fuck on a grassy hill under the stars.

It wakes her with a start.

She spends a few moments lying there, staring at the ceiling as she catches her breath and feels her pulse vibrating in her whole body. Everything in her is awake now. She sits up slowly, casting her eyes around the room for Barry. It doesn't seem much later than the first time she woke up.

The door to the bathroom opens and Barry steps out. He's freshly showered and his hair is plastered back on his skull. All he's wearing are his glasses and a towel around his waist and Lup is so tempted to snatch it right off of him.

“Oh, good morning,” Barry says, raising his eyebrows at her. “You're up early.”

“Yeah,” Lup says, flicking her hair over her shoulder. She feels hot down to her core. “Listen, Barry, if I manage to shower without falling and cracking my head open, we're going to get back into that bed and not leave until tomorrow. You get me?”

“Um.” Barry adjusts his glasses. He's gone very still.

“We're not sleeping, babe. I’m good on sleep for, uh, pretty much for fucking ever at this point.”

“Yeah-- Okay, if you're up for it.”

Lup sits up straighter. “Look into my eyes, Barry. Look.”

Barry swallows and steps toward her. She beckons him forward until he's leaning down inches from her face.

“I am soooo down to fuck.”

He breaks out into a grin so brilliant that Lup nearly decides to skip the shower but she feels all gross and probably still has bits of green slime or whatever stuck in her hair.

“Okay... Yeah. We... We'll go slow.” Barry is all flustered now and it just makes Lup more eager. She pecks him on the lips before bolting out of bed.

 

The shower leaves her refreshed and not as tired as she thought it would. Standing for that long isn't as bad as it would have been a few days ago. Her strength is already returning.

When she steps back into the bedroom, Barry is lying in bed, pretending to read something. She can tell he's pretending by the way his eyes flicker all over the page. He's ditched his towel.

Slowly, he looks over to her. She lets her own towel drop to the floor and the look on his face is something she wishes she could capture in time. He's not shy about his gaze. He's looking her up and down like he's trying to memorize her, like he needs to drink her in while he can.

But she's not going anywhere.

“No sex jeans?” Lup teases as she moves to the bed. Barry sets aside his book and swallows as Lup crawls on top of him.

“Nah. I probably would have ripped them off the moment you stepped out anyway.”

Lup laughs but his words make her painfully aware of her own pulse. She stares down at him for a moment, tracing the side of his face with her fingers before gently removing his glasses and setting them on the side table.

“Are you sure you're up to this?” Barry asks for the fiftieth time.

“Uh, duh.” Lup kisses him under his chin. “Are you trying to turn me off, Barold?”

Barry sighs. “I know, I worry too much.”

“Mmm. If it makes you feel better, you can be on top.” She rolls off of Barry and lets him straddle her hips. Touching like this is just making her more impatient. She wants to savor it, she wants to catalog every detail, but she also would like Barry to just fuck her right now.

And Barry is just _looking_ at her. He looks at her like no one else ever has. Like she's special, like she's worth everything. Once that scared her. Once she thought she would drown in that gaze, that she would never live up to his expectations of her. But she's learned that he loves her no matter what. They love each other no matter what.

Which is super romantic and shit, but Lup swears she's about to pass out from an epic case of blue balls.

She cups his face and he leans into her hand. He kisses her palm before leaning down to lay a trail of kisses across her neck.

Lup gasps. The sensation is so vivid, so sharp, that she feels it deep in the pit of her stomach. Every press of his lips sends shivers down her spine and every exhale into her skin makes her sigh. 

And she’s getting hard. Oh man is she getting hard.

“Oh, babe,” Lup whispers, “This is going to be soooo good.”

Barry inhales sharply, in that way that she knows she's turning him on. He moves up to her neck to kiss her behind the ear, in the spot that always makes her squirm. His hands are running down the curves of her new body, leaving her aching for more.

He sucks on her earlobe and Lup whines. She digs her nails into his shoulder and arches her back, rubbing herself against him. 

“Oooh shit,” she hisses as Barry stutters into her skin. 

“Be patient,” he breathes.

“Nope.” Lup is rubbing herself up and down his thigh, shuddering with the jolts that surge through her. She could come now, if she kept at it. She’s so hard it’s painful.

“I thought we were going slow.” Barry pulls back, frowning a little.

“Uh, who said that?” Lup stops grinding him (partly because effort). “We haven't fucked in like ten years, let me live.”

Barry shakes his head, but he's smiling.His cheeks are flushed and he's so goddamn cute. “Okay, okay. But just relax, let me take care of you.”

And Lup obeys, because he's so gentle and sincere that it breaks through the haze of lust consuming her. 

Barry kisses her briefly before sliding down to settle between her legs. He kisses the inside of her thigh and she swallows hard. And he keeps going, letting his hand wander closer and closer to her dick until she’s ready to scream.

“Babe, please,” Lup whines.

He looks up and that look in his eyes is one she’s seen a thousand times before. It’s a hard, determined look that means shit is about to go down or she’s about to get the fucking of her life.

Gentle fingers grasp the base of her length and she almost chokes. He slides his hand up and down a few times, making Lup practically writhe. She almost tells him to stop, almost tells him that it’s too much and maybe she should have waited because holy _fuck_ the fireworks emanating from his fingertips are about to make her pass out. 

“Okay… ready?” 

It’s probably written all over her face that she’s flustered as hell.

“Yeah,” she manages.

He takes her length into his mouth and her hands scrabble at the bedsheets. “Oh... fuck,” she breathes as she arches her back involuntarily. 

And Barry is an expert. His mouth is warm and wet and his hands are firm against her thighs. He sucks and teases and she’s already so, so close. She could have come any number of times before but now she can’t hold back anymore. It's not the hard fucking she wished for, but it's more than enough. 

“Babe,” Lup chokes out. “Oh, fuck!” She bites her lip and feels her toes curling and uncurling. She’s nearly forgotten what this felt like, the heat in her stomach, every nerve ending on fire. The shuddering and panting and eyes screwed shut and --fuuuck. She pulls her hips back as it explodes inside her. 

Maybe she screams? The moment of orgasm, everything blips out for a moment and is replaced by a wave of pleasure that radiates through her whole body. It’s almost too much to take. She swears she’s about to pass out from less than a minute of oral sex. 

And then it ebs away and she’s left gasping and panting with tears in her eyes as she sinks bonelessly into the pillow. Everything is soft and hazy and damn it feels so good. 

Barry’s there a moment later, pressing kisses into her neck. His weight against her is warm and reassuring and familiar. She scrubs her eyes with a shaking hand before lazily draping her arms around him.

“I owe you one,” she offers, eyes shut. Her breathing is all over the place and she’s trying to even it out.

“I’ll give you that one free,” Barry teases. He sucks at the spot behind her ear and sighs.

“How generous of you.”

She traces her fingers down his back as he continues to kiss her wherever he can. It’s sweet, but she can’t think about it too deeply or it breaks her heart. They've waited so long to be here, together, in the aftermath.

“I love you,” she tells Barry and he stops kissing her for a moment.

He looks up at her so seriously that the shift takes her by surprise. “I love you, too.” And then he pauses. His expression wavers. “I keep thinking I’m gonna wake up. How…. How can we just be done? How did it turn out like this?”

Lup swallows. She takes Barry's face in her hands. “It’s real. We deserve this.”

Barry smiles at her and drops his face into the curve of her neck. She sighs deeply as he lays a soft flutter of kisses on her collarbone. She wants to cry all over again.

But instead she runs a hand through Barry's hair and hums with contentment. “That was just a warm up, right, babe?”

He snorts. “Yeah, of course.”

 

They spend a good portion of the day in bed. There's only minimal sleeping and maybe a little bit of crying. By the time Taako calls them down for dinner, Lup is sore and exhausted and covered in hickies but she's so, so happy.

And when she high fives Taako in the kitchen, she cherishes the look of horror in Barry's eyes. 

That never gets old. 


End file.
